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August 23, 2012

Gunsmoke

Conversation revolved around a particular question after reaching our cabin Friday night. “How many rounds you put through this one”, everyone asked as they picked up one another’s handguns and rifles – inspecting each. Five of us had gathered from as far away as Rhode Island to take in the Maine woods and bum around a family camp (smack dab in the middle of nowhere). The camp sits behind a gate that only three individuals have the key to: my buddy, his grandfather, and the logging company. And the logging company never comes here. It’s as if for an entire weekend we have 3,000 acres all to ourselves.

I wake early Saturday morning and stoke a fire. We all gather for breakfast once the sausages, green pepper, and onions are lightly charred in my cast iron pan. Tossing a combination of the above into a roll – we enjoy a lasting meal before piling into the bed of a late 90’s Ford pickup and setting off down the old dirt roads. With frequent stops to toss a fishing line into the occasional brook or target practice with empty cans, the day is thoroughly enjoyed.

The afternoon even includes a short hike to the top of a private mountain. Within 30 minutes we reach “The Ledges”, a rock-faced bluff, offering exquisite views of AcadiaPark. You might as well call it Lookout Mountain. We spend a couple hours chatting, our feet dangling from the rocky ledge, while staring 100’s of feet down on the tops of white pines, distant lakes, and CadillacMountain.

I consistently say that no better time can be had than that which is spent in the woods and each week I grow more fond of the concept. Here, life can be spent as intended with a bright sun shining directly above, friends at your side and enjoying what Mother Nature has to offer – it also helps when you have a cold drink in your hand.